NC State Benefits More By Keeping Doeren, Not Resetting
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RALEIGH — NC State head coach Dave Doeren just wrapped up his 13th season leading the Wolfpack, finishing the 2025 campaign with a 7-5 record, a win over a top-10 program and yet another victory over UNC in the regular season finale. While a bowl game is still on deck for the program, the brunt of the race is over and the time for reflection is now.
Since joining NC State back in 2013, Doeren has amassed a record of 94-70, making him the winningest head coach in program history. However, that is not what makes him so important to the university and the football team itself. It is the culture he has built in his decade-plus in Raleigh. For better or worse, Doeren's teams have become an extension of the man himself, something any program aspires for when it believes it has the right man at the helm.
Silencing the doubt
Before the 2025 season got underway, rumors of Doeren's retirement already persisted from the prior season. He reportedly considered walking away from the game and even later discussed how his time could be coming to an end during ACC Kickoff over the summer. However, the head coach consistently praised the roster's "coachability" during the fall, something he didn't do in 2024.
The situation reached a boiling point in the week of NC State's matchup against a Georgia Tech team ranked in the top 10 at the time. Doeren's team was 4-4 going into the matchup, coming off a horrific loss against Pittsburgh. Doeren was asked directly about his job security and his thoughts about potentially retiring. He fired back confidently.
NC State coach Dave Doeren has no plans to retire after this season, despite reports saying otherwise.
— Noah Fleischman (@fleischman_noah) October 30, 2025
Question from @murphsturph. pic.twitter.com/6ol7pwTaSw
"Do I have plans down the road someday to retire? Sure. But I don't have any plans to do that, I'm going to keep coaching. I've got four years left on my contract," he said.
That moment proved to be the most important one of the season for Doeren and, by extension, NC State football. The Wolfpack ripped off a dominant win over the Yellow Jackets, followed by a field-storming by the same fans calling for the coach's job just days before. Doeren led his team to another dominant November, winning three of the last four games, with the lone loss coming against Miami.
The coach got his team to back him up, something many across the sport have failed to do. The Wolfpack never quit, just as Doeren didn't. NC State lost three games in the last two months of the season, where it looked like it didn't belong on the field with its opponents. After each loss, the Pack bounced back with emphatic, culture-defining victories.
A microcosm of the Doeren experience
Rarely does a coach who has never reached 10 wins maintain his position at a power conference school for over a decade, but Doeren is an outlier of all outliers. With his back against the wall, he finds a way. The Wolfpack dealt with more injuries than most teams across the sport, losing countless bodies on the defensive side of the field. His team never stopped fighting, though.
His consistency is what makes him a unique head coach. The Wolfpack rarely bottoms out under Doeren's watch, missing just two bowl games in 13 years.
"There is no quit here," Doeren said after the FSU win. "And hopefully by now, you guys know that. My teams don't do that -- 11 bowl games in 13 years, six out of seven against Florida State. We've done some good work. And to be in a bowl game with this team, I'm fired up, man."
Losing a coach who dragged a team down to reserves at both safety spots, multiple positions on the offensive line and at linebacker to seven wins and a win over your nemesis down the road simply isn't good business. Athletic director Boo Corrigan knew that and confidently made the call to bring Doeren back for a 14th season Sunday morning. Why? Doeren doesn't quit.
"Our culture is really strong, and it was tested this year, and it stood up to the test," Doeren said after the UNC win. "I don't know what else you want. You win three out of four in November. Beat your rival five in a row, Florida State six out of the past seven. That's a pretty good November, man."
Should Doeren get a win in NC State's postseason bowl game, likely without some key players who will opt out to protect their health for the NFL draft, the program will be in a much better place than it was after the 2024 season ended in Annapolis at the Military Bowl.
For NC State fans, it's important to ask two key questions:
- Could you do better?
- Would better come to NC State?
For now, Doeren is the best NC State can do. With more support from the institution financially and significant staff stability, the Wolfpack is in a better place under Doeren than it would be joining the chaotic 2025 coaching carousel.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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